Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ASTROPHYSICS”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,135 records · Page 63
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

ASTROPHYSICAL SHRAPNEL: DISCRIMINATING AMONG NEAR-EARTH STELLAR EXPLOSION SOURCES OF LIVE RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES

We consider the production and deposition on Earth of isotopes with half-lives in the range 10{sup 5}-10{sup 8} yr that might provide signatures of nearby stellar explosions, extending previous analyses of Core-Collapse Supernovae (CCSNe) to include Electron-Capture Supernovae (ECSNe), Super-Asymptotic Giant Branch (SAGB) stars, Thermonuclear/Type Ia Supernovae (TNSNe), and Kilonovae/Neutron Star Mergers (KNe). We revisit previous estimates of the {sup 60}Fe and {sup 26}Al signatures, and extend these estimates to include {sup 244}Pu and {sup 53}Mn. We discuss interpretations of the {sup 60}Fe signals in terrestrial and lunar reservoirs in terms of a nearby stellar ejection ∼2.2 Myr ago, showing that (1) the {sup 60}Fe yield rules out the TNSN and KN interpretations, (2) the {sup 60}Fe signals highly constrain SAGB interpretations but do not completely them rule out, (3) are consistent with a CCSN origin, and (4) are highly compatible with an ECSN interpretation. Future measurements could resolve the radioisotope deposition over time, and we use the Sedov blast wave solution to illustrate possible time-resolved profiles. Measuring such profiles would independently probe the blast properties including distance, and would provide additional constraints for the nature of the explosion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The transport of low-frequency turbulence in astrophysical flows. II. Solutions for the super-Alfvénic solar wind

Zank et al. developed a turbulence transport model for low-frequency incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in inhomogeneous flows in terms of the energy corresponding to forward and backward propagating modes, the residual energy, the correlation lengths corresponding to forward and backward propagating modes, and the correlation length of the residual energy. We apply the Zank et al. model to the super-Alfvénic solar wind i.e., |U|≫|V{sub A}| and solve the coupled equations for two cases, the first being the heliosphere from 0.29 to 5 AU with and without the Alfvén velocity, and the second being the “entire” heliosphere from 0.29 to 100 AU in the absence of the Alfvén velocity. The model shows that (1) shear driving is responsible for the in situ generation of backward propagating modes, (2) the inclusion of the background magnetic field modifies the transport of turbulence in the inner heliosphere, (3) the correlation lengths of forward and backward propagating modes are almost equal beyond ∼30 AU, and (4) the fluctuating magnetic and kinetic energies in MHD turbulence are in approximate equipartition beyond ∼30 AU. A comparison of the model results with observations for the two cases shows that the model reproduces the observations quite well from 0.29 to 5 AU. The outer heliosphere (>1 AU) observations are well described by the model. The temporal and latitudinal dependence of the observations makes a detailed comparison difficult but the overall trends are well captured by the models. We conclude that the results are a reasonable validation of the Zank et al. model for the super-Alfvénic solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

On the thermodynamics and other constitutive properties of a class of strongly magnetized matter observed in astrophysics

It is shown that the occurrence of magnetization work is a consistent thermodynamic explanation of the property of anti-correlation between temperature and density of the electrons gas in a class of magnetic-field-dominated structures observed in the interplanetary medium. In this model, a 7/4 scaling ratio for magnetization work to electron-gas work explains the often observed anomalous adiabatic polytropic exponent γ{sub a}=1/2. This interpretation is built on the theoretical conjecture of a matter state having spatial confinement of most hadronic elements of matter, i.e., matter held in place by the action of what is here denominated as a “super-strong” magnetic field, which together with the plasma it contains satisfies—on medium to large spatial-temporal scales—ideal magnetohydrodynamics. Several elements of the interpretation are tested for a case study, the flux-rope (FR) structure passing Wind SC on 1998 June 2. This allows us to extract, for a 185 s sample interval inside the FR, the following constitutive properties of this diamagnetic state of matter: (i) sound speed, (ii) thermal temperature, (iii) magnetic permeability, and (iv) a low limit to its dielectric permittivity. The intervals of coherence, i.e., thermodynamic homogeneity, extend from a few to many 10{sup 4} km for plasma and magnetic field average with a sampling rate of 3s per value. We point out that this state of matter, which we identify to be an amorphous three-dimensional Langmuir lattice, differs from other materials studied in the laboratory at extreme low temperatures and is well described as BCS-superconductors because in our case we understand that (a) the magnetic permeability is non-zero, and (b) substantial field-aligned, convected-current density exists.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE HYPERFINE STRUCTURE OF THE ROTATIONAL SPECTRUM OF HDO AND ITS EXTENSION TO THE THz REGION: ACCURATE REST FREQUENCIES AND SPECTROSCOPIC PARAMETERS FOR ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATIONS

The rotational spectrum of the mono-deuterated isotopologue of water, HD{sup 16}O, has been investigated in the millimeter- and submillimeter-wave frequency regions, up to 1.6 THz. The Lamb-dip technique has been exploited to obtain sub-Doppler resolution and to resolve the hyperfine (hf) structure due to the deuterium and hydrogen nuclei, thus enabling the accurate determination of the corresponding hf parameters. Their experimental determination has been supported by high-level quantum-chemical calculations. The Lamb-dip measurements have been supplemented by Doppler-limited measurements (weak high-J and high-frequency transitions) in order to extend the predictive capability of the available spectroscopic constants. The possibility of resolving hf splittings in astronomical spectra has been discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The weak lensing signal and the clustering of BOSS galaxies. II. Astrophysical and cosmological constraints

We perform a joint analysis of the abundance, the clustering, and the galaxy–galaxy lensing signal of galaxies measured from Data Release 11 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey in our companion paper, Miyatake et al. The lensing signal was obtained by using the shape catalog of background galaxies from the Canada France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey, which was made publicly available by the CFHTLenS collaboration, with an area overlap of about 105 deg{sup 2}. We analyze the data in the framework of the halo model in order to fit halo occupation parameters and cosmological parameters (Ω{sub m} and σ{sub 8}) to these observables simultaneously, and thus break the degeneracy between galaxy bias and cosmology. Adopting a flat ΛCDM cosmology with priors on Ω{sub b}h{sup 2}, n{sub s}, and h from the analysis of WMAP 9 yr data, we obtain constraints on the stellar mass–halo mass relation of galaxies in our sample. Marginalizing over the halo occupation distribution parameters and a number of other nuisance parameters in our model, we obtain Ω{sub m}=0.310{sub −0.020}{sup +0.019} and σ{sub 8}=0.785{sub −0.044}{sup +0.044} (68% confidence). We demonstrate the robustness of our results with respect to sample selection and a variety of systematics such as the halo off-centering effect and possible incompleteness in our sample. Our constraints are consistent, complementary, and competitive with those obtained using other independent probes of these cosmological parameters. The cosmological analysis is the first of its kind to be performed at a redshift as high as 0.53.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ON VERTICALLY GLOBAL, HORIZONTALLY LOCAL MODELS FOR ASTROPHYSICAL DISKS

Disks with a barotropic equilibrium structure, for which the pressure is only a function of the density, rotate on cylinders in the presence of a gravitational potential, so that the angular frequency of such a disk is independent of height. Such disks with barotropic equilibria can be approximately modeled using the shearing box framework, representing a small disk volume with height-independent angular frequency. If the disk is in baroclinic equilibrium, the angular frequency does generally depend on height, and it is thus necessary to go beyond the standard shearing box approach. In this paper, we show that given a global disk model, it is possible to develop approximate models that are local in horizontal planes without an expansion in height with shearing-periodic boundary conditions. We refer to the resulting framework as the vertically global shearing box (VGSB). These models can be non-axisymmetric for globally barotropic equilibria but should be axisymmetric for globally baroclinic equilibria. We provide explicit equations for this VGSB which can be implemented in standard magnetohydrodynamic codes by generalizing the shearing-periodic boundary conditions to allow for a height-dependent angular frequency and shear rate. We also discuss the limitations that result from the radial approximations that are needed in order to impose height-dependent shearing periodic boundary conditions. We illustrate the potential of this framework by studying a vertical shear instability and examining the modes associated with the magnetorotational instability.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SENSITIVITY OF ASTROPHYSICAL REACTION RATES TO NUCLEAR UNCERTAINTIES

Sensitivities of nuclear reaction rates to a variation of nuclear properties are studied. Target nuclei range from proton- to neutron dripline for 10 {<=} Z {<=} 83. Reactions considered are nucleon- and {alpha}-induced reactions mediated by strong interaction. The contribution of reactions occurring on the target ground state to the total stellar rate is also given. General dependencies on various input quantities are discussed. Additionally, sensitivities of laboratory cross-sections of nucleon-, {alpha}-, and {gamma}-induced reactions are shown, allowing us to estimate the impact of cross-section measurements. Finally, recommended procedures to explore and improve reaction rate uncertainties using the present sensitivity data are outlined.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

PRECISE THz MEASUREMENTS OF HCO{sup +}, N{sub 2}H{sup +}, AND CF{sup +} FOR ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATIONS

Ground-state rotational spectra of HCO{sup +}, N{sub 2}H{sup +}, and CF{sup +} (both {sup 12}C- and {sup 13}C-containing isotopologues) have been recorded in the 1.0-1.6 THz frequency range. Present measurements allowed us to improve the spectroscopic parameters, which in turn enabled the prediction of rotational transitions up to 2.0-2.5 THz with good accuracy. We therefore consider the present results to be of great value in view of the extended spectral coverage made available by the Herschel Space Observatory, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. Furthermore, we re-investigated the ground-state rotational spectrum of N{sub 2}H{sup +} in the 93-750 GHz frequency range, thus addressing the open issue of the frequency of the J = 1 <- 0 transition as well as resolving the hyperfine structure of the J + 1 <- J transitions with J = 1, 2, and 3 for the first time.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Cosmological and astrophysical signatures of dark matter annihilations into pseudo-Goldstone bosons

We investigate a model where the dark matter particle is a chiral fermion field charged under a global U(1) symmetry which is assumed to be spontaneously broken, leading to a pseudo-Goldstone boson (PGB). We argue that the dark matter annihilation into PGBs determine the dark matter relic abundance. Besides, we also note that experimental searches for PGBs allow either for a very long lived PGB, with a lifetime much longer than the age of the Universe, or a relatively short lived PGB, with a lifetime shorter than one minute. Hence, two different scenarios arise, producing very different signatures. In the long lived PGB scenario, the PGB might contribute significantly to the radiation energy density of the Universe. On the other hand, in the short lived PGB scenario, and since the decay length is shorter than one parsec, the s-wave annihilation into a PGB and a CP even dark scalar in the Galactic center might lead to an intense box feature in the gamma-ray energy spectrum, provided the PGB decay branching ratio into two photons is sizable. We also analyze the constraints on these two scenarios from thermal production, the Higgs invisible decay width and direct dark matter searches.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Astrophysical constraints on extended gravity models

We investigate the propagation of gravitational waves in the context of fourth order gravity nonminimally coupled to a massive scalar field. Using the damping of the orbital period of coalescing stellar binary systems, we impose constraints on the free parameters of extended gravity models. In particular, we find that the variation of the orbital period is a function of three mass scales which depend on the free parameters of the model under consideration; we can constrain these mass scales from current observational data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The spectrum and flavor composition of the astrophysical neutrinos in IceCube

We fit the energy distribution of the IceCube starting events by a model which involves four parameters in the neutrino spectrum, namely three normalizations n{sub e},n{sub μ},n{sub τ} and a common power-law index γ, with a fixed background simulated by IceCube. It is found that the best fit index is γ = 2.7 with χ{sup 2}{sub min} = 32.3/24 dof. As for the two parameter model involving a democratic normalization and an index, the best fit is at γ = 2.8 with χ{sup 2}{sub min} = 33.9/26 dof. The flavored model and the democratic model do not have much difference in the quality of the (energy-spectrum) fit. The standard 1 : 1 : 1 composition is not disfavored by the current data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Towards a realistic astrophysical interpretation of the gamma-ray Galactic center excess

A spherical-symmetric gamma-ray emission from (the inner region of the Galaxy (at least up to roughly 10° in latitude and longitude)) has been recently identified in Fermi-LAT data, and initially associated to dark matter particle annihilations. Guided by the evidence for a high gas density in the inner kpc of the Galaxy correlated with a very large Supernova rate, and hence with ongoing cosmic-ray acceleration, we investigate instead the possibility of addressing this excess in terms of ordinary cosmic-ray sources and standard steady-state diffusion. We (alter the source term, and consistently the correlated gamma-ray emissions, in the context of a template-fitting analysis. We focus on a region of interest (ROI) defined as: |l| < 20°; 2° < |b| < 20°, with l and b the Galactic longitude and latitude coordinates.) We analyze in detail the overall goodness of the fit of our framework, and perform a detailed direct comparison against data examining profiles in different directions. Remarkably, the test statistic of the fit related to our scenario turns out to be as good as the Dark Matter one in the ROI here considered.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Astrophysical constraints on resonantly produced sterile neutrino dark matter

Resonantly produced sterile neutrinos are considered an attractive dark matter (DM) candidate only requiring a minimal, well motivated extension to the standard model of particle physics. With a particle mass restricted to the keV range, sterile neutrinos are furthermore a prime candidate for warm DM, characterised by suppressed matter perturbations at the smallest observable scales. In this paper we take a critical look at the validity of the resonant scenario in the context of constraints from structure formation. We compare predicted and observed number of Milky-Way satellites and we introduce a new method to generalise existing Lyman-α limits based on thermal relic warm DM to the case of resonant sterile neutrino DM . The tightest limits come from the Lyman-α analysis, excluding the entire parameter space (at 2-σ confidence level) still allowed by X-ray observations. Constraints from Milky-Way satellite counts are less stringent, leaving room for resonant sterile neutrino DM most notably around the suggested line signal at 7.1 keV.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Astrophysical neutrino production diagnostics with the Glashow resonance

We study the Glashow resonance ν-bar {sub e} + e {sup −} → W {sup −} → hadrons at 6.3 PeV as diagnostic of the production processes of ultra-high energy neutrinos. The focus lies on describing the physics of neutrino production from pion decay as accurate as possible by including the kinematics of weak decays and Monte Carlo simulations of pp and pγ interactions. We discuss optically thick (to photohadronic interactions) sources, sources of cosmic ray ''nuclei'' and muon damped sources. Even in the proposed upgrade IceCube-Gen2, a discrimination of scenarios such as pp versus pγ is extremely challenging under realistic assumptions. Nonetheless, the Glashow resonance can serve as a smoking gun signature of neutrino production from photohadronic (Aγ) interactions of heavier nuclei, as the expected Glashow event rate exceeds that of pp interactions. We finally quantify the exposures for which the non-observation of Glashow events exerts pressure on certain scenarios.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

α -unbound levels in Ar 34 from Ar 36 ( p , t ) Ar 34 reaction measurements and implications for the astrophysical S 30 ( α , p ) Cl 33 reaction rate

The S 30 ( α , p ) Cl 33 reaction has been identified in several type-1 x-ray burst (XRB) sensitivity studies as a significant reaction within the α , p process, potentially influencing not only the abundances of burst ashes but also the bolometric shape of double-peaked light curves coming from certain XRB systems. Given the dearth of experimental data on the S 30 ( α , p ) Cl 33 reaction at burst temperatures, we have performed high energy-resolution forward-angle Ar 36 ( p , t ) Ar 34 measurements in order to identify levels in 34 Ar that could appear as resonances in the S 30 ( α , p ) Cl 33 reaction Energies of levels identified in this research, along with model-based assumptions for spin assignments and spectroscopic factors, were then used to determine a rate for the S 30 ( α , p ) Cl 33 reaction based on a narrow-resonance formalism. The rates determined in this work are then compared with two standard Hauser-Feshbach model predictions over a range of XRB temperatures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Constraint of the Astrophysical Al 26 g ( p , γ ) Si 27 Destruction Rate at Stellar Temperatures

The Galactic 1.809-MeV γ-ray signature from the β decay of 26g Al is a dominant target of γ-ray astronomy, of which a significant component is understood to originate from massive stars. The 26g Al(p,γ) 27 Si reaction is a major destruction pathway for 26g Al at stellar temperatures, but the reaction rate is poorly constrained due to uncertainties in the strengths of low-lying resonances in 27 Si. The 26g Al (d,p) 27 Al reaction has been employed in inverse kinematics to determine the spectroscopic factors, and hence resonance strengths, of proton resonances in 27 Si via mirror symmetry. Finally, the strength of the 127-keV resonance is found to be a factor of 4 higher than the previously adopted upper limit, and the upper limit for the 68-keV resonance has been reduced by an order of magnitude, considerably constraining the 26g Al destruction rate at stellar temperatures.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ion versus Electron Heating in Compressively Driven Astrophysical Gyrokinetic Turbulence

The partition of irreversible heating between ions and electrons in compressively driven (but subsonic) collisionless turbulence is investigated by means of nonlinear hybrid gyrokinetic simulations. We derive a prescription for the ion-to-electron heating ratio Q i /Q e as a function of the compressive-to-Alfvénic driving power ratio P compr /P AW , of the ratio of ion thermal pressure to magnetic pressure β i , and of the ratio of ion-to-electron background temperatures T i /T e . It is shown that Q i /Q e is an increasing function of P compr /P AW . When the compressive driving is sufficiently large, Q i /Q e approaches ≃P compr /P AW . This indicates that, in turbulence with large compressive fluctuations, the partition of heating is decided at the injection scales, rather than at kinetic scales. Analysis of phase-space spectra shows that the energy transfer from inertial-range compressive fluctuations to sub-Larmor-scale kinetic Alfvén waves is absent for both low and high β i , meaning that the compressive driving is directly connected to the ion-entropy fluctuations, which are converted into ion thermal energy. This result suggests that preferential electron heating is a very special case requiring low βi and no, or weak, compressive driving. Our heating prescription has wide-ranging applications, including to the solar wind and to hot accretion disks such as M87 and Sgr A*.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗